Cathy Cade

Catherine Elise Cade (February 24, 1942 – November 16, 2024), was an American photographer noted for her work in documentary photography, including photos about lesbian mothering.^[2] She was a feminist and lesbian activist from the early 1970s, starting as an activist and inspired by the power of photography in the early 1960s as part of the Southern Civil Rights Movement.^[2]

Cathy Cade
Born	(1942-02-24)February 24, 1942 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Died	November 16, 2024(2024-11-16) (aged 82) Berkeley, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Carleton College[1] Tulane University (PhD)
Occupation(s)	Photographer, activist
Children	2

Cade lived in Berkeley, and worked with her archives at The Bancroft Library at the University of California at Berkeley.^[3] She was a member of the Bay Area Civil Rights Veterans and had memoir material at the Civil Rights Movement Archive. She was a member of Old Lesbians Organizing for Change.

Early life and education

Cade was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 24, 1942.^[1][4] She grew up in the South and the Midwest.^[5] While attending college, Cade participated in the Southern civil rights movement.^[6] In 1969, Cade received a PhD in sociology from Tulane University in New Orleans.^[1][7][5]

Work

"Cade is a longtime activist in the civil rights, gay liberation, and women's liberation movements, and her photographs are intricately linked to her work for social justice."^[8] In 1989 she shared her photographs "showing the strength, diversity and pride of lesbians" at a presentation in Davis.^[9]

In late 2000, she started her business "Cathy Cade: Personal Histories, Photo Organizing and Photography".^[6]

Personal life and death

Cade was the mother of two sons.^[10][11] She died from complications of dementia at her home in Berkeley, California, on November 16, 2024, at the age of 82.^[1]

Publications

• A Lesbian Photo Album: The Lives of Seven Lesbian Feminists. (Oakland, Ca: Waterwomen Books, 1987).
• Woman Controlled Conception by Sarah and Mary Anonymous, drawings by Billie Mericle, copyright 1979 by Womanshare Books. Produced and distributed by UnionWAGE.

Selected exhibitions

Cade was featured in the three person exhibit LESBIANS SEEING LESBIANS: Building Community in Early Feminist Photography at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art in 2011.^[12]

Collections

Cade's work is held in permanent collections including:

• Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art^[13]

• Oakland Museum of California^[14]
• San Francisco History Center^[15]

Awards and fellowships

2004—Pat Bond Memorial Old Dyke Award: Honoring Extraordinary Lesbians Over 60^[16]